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You Do Not Want Him Voting

by Alicia Lu

People are usually able to see through scare tactics, which amount to nothing more than a collective eye-roll. But when they're done well, they can effectively stir anyone to action. Rock the Vote's video featuring a horrifyingly sexist man sent chills down my spine, but that's exactly the point. The video is part of its "Care Like Crazy" campaign, which shows young people what kind of extremists, bigots, and all-around lunatics are eligible to vote. Their message is loud and clear: Go out there and vote, if only to cancel out these head cases.

Rock the Vote teamed up with creative ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners New York to produce the disturbing yet effective videos. They are meant to encourage young people to vote in the November 4 midterm elections, which will decide who gets control in the U.S. House and Senate.

Besides the man who adamantly believes that men are smarter than women, the video series also features a woman who thinks only affluent adults should have the right to vote, a rich CEO-type who thinks people with student-loan debt are just "whiners," an arms manufacturer who smugly says "bombs pay for my lake house," a religious fanatic who thinks climate change reform is a waste of time because the end of times are coming, and a more aggressively sexist guy who also exhibits a flair for racism.

But the video that really got me was the man who so casually spouts his sexist views while holding a bag of groceries. The nonchalance of his tone was especially jarring, and I was fully convinced that this person was real until the end of the ad revealed its brilliant tactic. Join me on my emotional roller coaster and see for yourself why Rock the Vote's "Care Like Crazy" campaign is so effective.

Shock and Horror

The video starts out like any old campaign video, complete with soft acoustic guitar music in the background. A generic white man carrying a bag of groceries starts talking about how he never forgets to vote because he "cares about people." For example? Women.

I love women. But they'll never be as smart as men.

Excuse me??

Blind Rage

I know they think they want equal pay and they think they want the same rights as men, but their minds are just being poisoned by feminism.

At this point, I'm thinking who is this imbecile and who's the even bigger imbecile who let him go on camera?

Okay, This Is Just Absurd

It's our responsibility to protect them from themselves...especially when they're menstruating.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry or throw my MacBook Pro at the wall.

Ohhh, Phew! And Shudder

The ad ends with abrupt horror-movie music and the caption: "He votes. Do you?" Message received, loud and clear.

Watch the entire video below or on the "Care Like Crazy" site, where you can also register to vote.

Images: Rock the Vote/YouTube